Game board with leveling means and spinning top



Feb. 25, 1969 K. e. CEDERBERG GAME BOARD WITH LEVELING MEANS AND SPINNING TOP Sheet Filed June 8, 1965 KERMIT G.CEDERB'ERG INVENTOR.

K. s. CEDERBERG 3,429,573

GAME BOARD WITH LEVELING MEANS AND SPINNING TOP Feb. 25, 1969 Sheet Filed June 8, 1965 KERMIT G. CEDERBERG INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,429,573 GAME BOARD WITH LEVELlNG MEANS AND SPINNING TOP Kermit G. Cederberg, 3316 NE. 18th Ave., Portland, Oreg. 97212 Filed June 8, 1965, Ser. No. 462,221 US. Cl. 273-108 Int. Cl. A63b 67/14; A63h 1/00 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in a game of skill and chance that can be played by a number of competitive players.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a game of this character comprising an enclosure of substantially rectangular box-like formation whose bottom wall provides a playing field, the side walls serving as sidelines and spaced apart compartmented double end walls wherein one of the compartments serves as a starting gate and the other providing evaluated target compartments. The playing field is marked for placement of evaluated objects to be struck by a playing piece discharged from the starting gate so that the final score will be the total sum of value of the objects thrown or knocked off their evaluated placement spots plus the value of the compartments into and through which the playing piece passes and finally stops.

An additional object resides in a surface level being provided centrally of the playing surface and which along with corner mounted screw shafts, permit convenient and rapid positioning of the surface in a level condition.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a game board made in accordance with my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIGURE 3 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of a spherical levelling bubble constituting a surface level and embedded in the bottom wall of the enclosure at the center of the playing field.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational detail view of a typical manually-operable levelling device for at least two corners of the structure, and with a fragment broken away for clearness of illustration.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail view of a playing piece with a fragment of its bottom end broken away and illustrating in broken lines an attitude sometimes assumed after encountering various obstacles in its course of travel.

FIGURE 7 is a bottom end view of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view typical of either end of FIGURE 1 including what might be termed stumbling blocks or deflecting elements for the playing piece at or near one or more of the entrances to the end compartments.

Patented Feb. 25, 1969 FIGURE 9 is a sectional elevational view taken approximately along the line 99 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a view illustrating diagrammatically the gyratory traveling motion of the playing piece imparted to it by the novel formation of its bottom end as shown in FIGURE 6, and

FIGURE 11 is a detail view taken approximately along the line 1111 of FIGURE 1 with the playing piece removed and with a fragment broken away to reveal internal parts.

With continuing reference to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts, reference numeral 1 indicates generally a playing field in the form of a bottom wall of a box-like structure having side walls 2-3, end walls 4-5 and parallel inset end Walls 6 and 7, respectively, to provide compartments 8 and 9 one on each side of a starting compartment 10 at one end of the structure and compartments 11, 12 and 13 at the other end of the structure. The compartments 8-10 open into the playing field as at 8A, 9A and 10A and in communication with each other through passageways 15 and 16 respectively.

The compartments 11 and 13 similarly communicate with the field 1 through openings 11A and 13A while the compartment 12 is closed off from the playing field 1 but is in communication with compartments 11 and 13 by passageways 18 and 19.

The central area of the playing field is defined by points arranged in hexagonal formation as shown and each marked with a numerical value such, for instance, as 5. These location points surround a central point of equal or unequal numerical value and in addition thereto marks the location of a spherical levelling bubble of a surface level 20. This surface level, as best illustrated in FIG- URES 3 and 4, comprises a cup-like receptacle 21 for fluid such as alcohol and provided with a thin top flange 22 and a transparent closure 22A adapted to rest within an annu lar recess 23 of sufficient depth to enable the closure to lie flush with the top of the playing field 1.

The playing piece, as best illustrated in FIGURE 6, has the characteristics of a spinning top and comprises a round stem 25 made of doweling or the like provided with a head in the form of a disc 26 secured to the stem in any suitable manner, or if desired, the stem and head could be turned from a single piece of wood on a turning lathe. The bottom of the stem 25, as also shown in FIGURE 7, is recessed or of concave formation as at 27 to provide a sharp annular rim 28 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

To obtain the best results in playing the game it is essential that the playing field lie perfectly fiat for reasons which will become obvious from the description of the operation. For cooperating with the bubble spirit level 20 in levelling the board as aforesaid, I provide each corner of the structure with an internally threaded casting 31 through which a screw shaft 32 extends and provided with skid proof means such as rubber cups 33, or the like, by a swivel or ball and socket joint indicated generally at 34. For convenience in advancing or retracting the shaft 32 on its threads for raising or lowering its respective corner of the structure I provide the top end of the shaft with a hand wheel 35. From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that a perfectly level attitude of the playing field can easily be obtained by centering the levelling bubble relative to its tolerance ring 36 in the surface level 20.

Within the starting compartment 10, and as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 11, a horizontal platform 37 is secured to and extends outwardly from the end wall 5. The center of the platform is bifurcated and thereat in communication with a slot 37A extending upwardly through the end wall 5. Disposed below the platform 37 and secured to the bottom Wall 1 is a similar platform 38 having a forwardly opening recess 38A, in vertical alignment with the bifurcation of platform 37. It will be noted that the opening or starting gate in the wall 7 is of greater lateral dimensions than the other openings 8A, 9A in the end Wall 7, those in the other end wall 6 and those serving as passageways 15, 16, 18 and 19. The enlarged starting opening is for the purpose of insuring free, uninterrupted egress of the playing piece as it is whirled out onto the playing field, even though the stem 25 may be off the vertical and its head off the horizontal.

In starting the game, the playing piece 26, with a string 40 wrapped about its stem 25, is positioned within the vertically aligned bifurcations in the platforms 36 and 38 with the string extending to the exterior of the end wall through a slot 41 and thereat provided with a handgrip 42. The playing piece 26 is held in this vertical starting position by slight downward pressure of a users finger. Then, with target pins 45 standing on the evaluated loca tion marks in the center of the field and in some or all of the compartments 8, 9, 11-13, as agreed by the contestants, a rapid rearward pull on the string 40 will impart high speed impelling rotation to the playing piece out through the starting opening A in uncontrolled spinning travel in various unpredictable directions over the playing field. An example of such travel is indicated by the arrowed lines over the playing field, along wall 3, into and through certain compartments at one end of the field and finally coming to rest within compartment 8 at the opposite end. This endured extent of travel of the playing piece is due to the minimal resistance of the sharp annular rim 28 at the bottom of its stem 25.

By following the arrowed diagonal line of travel of the playing piece 26 from the starting compartment 10, it will be noted that by knocking down two pins 45 the ini tial score will be ten points; entrance of the playing piece into the compartment 13 increases the score by fifty points; passing through the compartment 12 adds 100 to the score; knocking over a pin within compartment 11 and passing out of that compartment adds 55 to the score, then crossing to the other side of the board 1 and rebounding from the wall 3, the course of travel of the playing piece is diverted, by striking another pin 45, then two more in its path of travel toward the compartment 8 which increases the score by points, then by finally entering compartment 8 concludes the score by an additional points if the pin 45 in that compartment is knocked over, and by 25 points if it is not.

To render the action and course of travel of the playing piece even more unpredictable a number of buttons or similar obstatcles 48 may be placed at or near the entrances to the compartments at either end of the board as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9, or at other points on the playing field. These hazards may be in the form of wooden or plastic buttons adhesively applied to the playing field or headed thumb tacks would be equally effective.

Skillful playing of the game involves the manner in which the playing piece 26 is temporarily stabilized in a vertical starting position and then released by removing finger pressure the instant the playing piece reaches its highest speed of rotation, so as to not interfere with its accelerated rotational travel out from the starting point 10 onto the central playing field or first target area.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have pro vided game apparatus in the nature of a toy bowling-alley adapted to be placed upon and accurately levelled relative to a table top or floor and played by any number of contestants in accordance with such a profusion of variable rules and arrangement of target pieces that enumeration is thought to be superfluous.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus of the type described having a rectangular playing surface defined by two intersecting side and end walls and a series of compartments at both ends of said surface and traversable by a spinning top,

8 the improvement comprising,

screw shafts located outwardly of the intersection of each of said walls and terminating upwardly in a hand wheel above said walls and terminating downwardly in a ball and socket joint with said socket being secured within a rubber cup whereby said screw shafts may tilt relative to a cup supporting surface,

threaded means carried by said Walls at their intersections and cooperable with said screw shafts for leveling of the playing surface,

a unitary surface level centrally located in said playing surface and having a bubble indicator operable to indicate a level condition of said surface in all directions, said level having a transparent closure lying flush with the playing surface to permit leveling of the playing surface by manipulation of said hand wheels while viewing a single level.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 93,760 8/1869 Sparks 4673 1,317,640 9/1919 Nussbeck 273l08 1,470,872 10/ 1923 Ovenshire 273l08 2,627,412 2/ 1953 Bronson 273l08 2,655,379 10/1953 Miller 273 FOREIGN PATENTS 498,939 l/ 1939 Great Britain. 12,056 5/1914 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. THOMAS ZACK, Assistant Examiner. 

